​As the blog title suggests, it's taken a while to get this one written and posted for one reason or another. It's not often that I miss one of my self-imposed deadlines. Thank goodness I'm not a real journalist. Too much pressure!
​
The first thing that you need to know about Barrington Park, Shrivenham's home ground, is that there is no parking available at the ground itself. This is because
 it lies at the end of a narrow lane containing private housing. However, there is a car park on the opposite side of the main road through the village and plenty of on-road parking in the streets around the ground. Of course, always take care not to block any of the local's driveways or access roads which could cause all sorts of problems for the football club (even though it wouldn't directly be their fault).

I had last seen Shrivenham play, three years and two days previously, a 4-3 defeat at Thame United's ASM Stadium (The Thaming Of The Shriv), but I had never been to Barrington Park before, so I was very keen to tick off another non-league ground.
​
The entrance to Barrington Park brings you into the ground next behind one of the goals, looking straight down the ground. The majority of facilities are at this end of the park, the clubhouse, snack bar and players/officials areas are all behind the village end goal. There is a small, covered seating stand to the left of the playing surface as you look from the clubhouse. The dugouts are also on this side of the pitch.
Directly in front of the clubhouse, slightly raised above pitch level, there are several rows of red plastic seats that are also under cover and offer a good view down the round. This seems to be the most popular part of the ground from which to view games.

​What looked to be a pretty decent programme was included in the entrance fee. However, I can't comment too much on it because I somehow managed to mislay it between the clubhouse and the pitch. Still, can't grumble as it was free anyway.

Shrivenham, in their home kit of blue and white hoops, were kicking down the noticeable slope in the first half, towards on of my personal favourite features of non-league grounds, the goal backed by trees.

Nomads, in the change kit of lime green with a red and black panel on the chest, started with more urgency as may be expected with a Premier League side visiting a Division One team. Twice they threatened the Shriveham goal in the opening few minutes before, with 10 on the clock, Udoka Godwin-Malife opened the scoring with a nice individual effort. Picking the ball up outside the area, he drove into the box, eluded a Shrivenham defender and finished powerfully past Alexander in the home goal. 0-1.

Just over five minutes later Nomads almost increased their lead when a long ball caught out the Shrivenham defence. Alexander raced out of his goal and collided with the onrushing Nomads striker, with both going down under the challenge. The ball meanwhile was cleared off the line by a covering defender. Shriv goalkeeper, Alexander, received quite lengthy treatment, but for the time-being could carry on.

The break in play seemed to unsettle Nomads and perk up Shrivenham, who suddenly started looking quite dangerous as they pushed for an equaliser. 
Before the half-hour mark, they really should have been level when Fowler squandered a golden opportunity to score, blasting well over from inside the box. This came just a minute after Stringer, the Nomads stopper, had made a good one-handed save.
After 36 minutes, however, the home side did finally get back on level terms. A long ball down their right-flank was chased down by Lincoln, getting there before Stringer, who had raced out of his goal. Lincoln's cross presented Fowler with a relatively simple finish to make amends for his earlier miss. 1-1.

Then, in first-half injury time, it really should have been 2-1 to Shrivenham when another Lincoln cross was met by Fowler in the six-yard box, but the striker's header went over the bar. A real let-off for Nomads.

HT Shrivenham 1 Oxford City Nomads 1. Nomads were clearly in charge for the first 20 minutes but, to their credit, Shrivenham battled back into the game and could easily have been in front at the break.

​When the teams came back out for the second half, the ramifications of that first half goal-keeping collision became clear. Alexander could not continue and was replaced by Rudman (normally an outfield player) in goal. 
At this point, and after moving to the other side of the ground for the second half, I was joined by the Shrivenham Twitter administrator for a while. It's always a pleasure to meet other non-league enthusiasts, and this was no exception. A great example of yet another volunteer who give up their time to make the game what it is.

With the home side having a stand-in keeper between the sticks, I was fully expecting Nomads to be having a pop from all angles early on  in the half. However, that was not the case. In fact, Shrivenham fired in the first real effort of the half, Fowler testing Stringer from outside the box. Nomads didn't really stretch Rudman until the 56th minute and the stand-in did his confidence no harm at all with a really good stop.

Nomads, now kicking down the slope, were certainly on top of the game in the second-half. The threat posed by Shrivenham towards the end of the first 45 minutes, seemed have waned a little, although they were still battling away admirably.
It took Nomads until the 70th minute to get their noses back in front and, even then, it was some slightly sloppy Shrivenham play that led to the goal. Shriv managed to lose the ball deep inside their own half and, when the ball was slipped forward, Nomads substitute Henry Landers ran onto the pass, rounded Rudman and slipped the ball into the net. 1-2

Shrivenham heads didn't drop at this point but, from a neutral's perspective, the game did seem to be up. Despite their hard work, the home side didn't look like they were going to get a goal back.
After 83 minutes, Landers made certain of this when he broke clear of the Shriveham back line and lifted the ball confidently over Rudman to make it 1-3.
There was still time fro Landers to complete his hat-trick, after only coming on in the 62nd minute. He latched onto a loose pass and,once again, showed a lot of confidence to place the ball past Rudman. 1-4.

FT Shrivenham 1 Oxford City Nomads 4. Nomads well worth the victory but the hard work shown by Shrivenham, who matched their higher-ranked opponents in the first half, made the final score very harsh on them.

Shrivenham: Alexander, Smith, Hendry, Carson, Little, Rivers, Brown, Lincoln, Prictor (c), Fowler, Milhench. Subs: Bright, Axeford, Rudman
Oxford City Nomads: Stringer, McEachrab, Simms, Godwin-Malife, Knapton, Gibbens, Mattimore, Bestley, Tutton, Collins, Agyakwa. Subs: Landers, Gila, Mulvany, Singh

Att. 55

Ground No. 138
Entrance: £5
Programme: Included in price

On a day when the M1 had been closed from Northampton to Milton Keynes all day, I was a little concerned about making a trip to Rushden in the evening. Would the traffic on the surrounding A roads, which I need to cross, be at a standstill? There was only one way to find out and, as it happens, there were no problems at all.
So, having not been to a ground in Northamptonshire for quite a while, I found myself heading to an NN post code for the second time in five days, following my trip to Thrapston on Friday. This evening, the footballing fare was going to be an FA Cup Second Qualifying Round replay between AFC Rushden & Diamonds of Step 4 and Alfreton Town of Step 2. The teams had drawn 2-2 in Derbyshire at the weekend, with Diamonds being two goals to the good at one point. What made this game especially interesting for me was the draw for the next round which would see the winner of this game travelling to Amblecote to face my team, Stourbridge. So, feeling a bit like a spy, I parked up near(ish) to the ground, and made my way (minus Stourbridge jacket) to the stadium.

Just before the start of this season, Rushden were given the go ahead to move into Hayden Road and ground-share with Rushden & Higham United. I had been told before-hand that a lot of work had been done on the ground by a team of volunteers. Having not been to Hayden Road before, I can't say exactly what changes have been made to the ground but, what I can say, is that it is clear to see that a considerable amount of work has been done to make the ground fit for Step 4 and a very nice place to watch football.
​
The ground has what looks like a fairly new covered standing area behind the goal at the  far end of the stadium, opposite from the town end. There is also a smallish covered seating area (The Mick George Stand) at this end of the ground, with a snack bar in between the two stands. On the far side, as well as the dugouts, there is another covered seating area. There is terracing behind the town end goal - which is backed by a row of houses - which also continues a little way around the Hayden Road side, stopping just short of another snack bar which is in the shadow of a large covered seating stand, currently not in use (or at least, wasn't in use on this evening). The pitch has a slight slope towards the town end of the ground but looked in good condition. All in all, it's a very tidy, compact ground that has clearly had some TLC applied to it in recent months. The only thing that the ground lacks is parking. There is no car park at the actual stadium and no scope to create any. Hayden Road has on street parking, but that soon gets filled up. The surrounding streets are all residential and not that easy to find spots. It is probably best to get there a little earlier, park in the town, and take a half-mile stroll to the ground.

​Rushden were kicking down the slope in the first half, towards the most vociferous section of their support, which had gathered behind Chris Elliott in the Alfreton goal. It was the home team who settled the quickest and began stringing together some decent passing moves.
When Alfreton did get the ball they relied very heavily on early, long, diagonal balls to their front pair of Craig Westcarr and Ricky German, most of which were dealt with well by the Diamonds back-line.

Rushden's wide players, Luke Fairlamb and Joel Gyasi, were causing plenty of problems for the Alfreton defence and, on a couple of occasions, The Whites got themselves into very good positions. With a little more composure in front of goal and a helping of luck, they could well have found themselves in front early on.

However, as the half wore on, The Reds started to get themselves back in the game. Their style was still noticeably more direct than Rushden, but some of the early balls to the front started to stick and the midfield was being given an opportunity to push up to help out.
Just after the half-hour mark one such Alfreton break led to a rash tackle and a free-kick out on the Reds right-wing. Brendon Daniels swung in a peach of a cross which was met by centre-half Tom Allan, who powered his header beyond Heath into the net. 0-1.
The goal temporarily took the wind out of the Rushden sails and Alfreton began enjoying their most dominant period of the game. On 41 minutes Daniels, who provided the first goal, latched onto a clearance 20 yards out and curled a lovely effort past the stranded Finlay who was grateful to see the ball smack the inside of his left-hand post and rebound to safety.
Then, with the clock almost on the 45 minute mark, Rushden conjured a deserved equaliser out of the blue. The ever-dangerous Luke Fairlamb picked up the ball out wide on the left, drifted past a defender, cut inside and unleashed an unstoppable, low drive past Elliott into the far corner for 1-1. There was barely rime to kick-off before the referee blew for half-time.

HT AFC Rushden & Diamonds 1 Alfreton Town 1. An entertaining half of football capped by a very good and deserved equaliser for Rushden.

​In the first half it had been impossible to tell that their were two divisions between the sides but would the advantage of the slight slope and the higher league status of The Reds start to take effect in the second period?
Well, the answer is yes and no.

Without a doubt, Alfreton saw more of the ball in the second half and their direct style, getting the ball forward early, was starting to look far more threatening, presumably as the Rushden players started to tire. However, Diamonds still posed plenty of threat on the break and still didn't look like a team two divisions below their opponents.
The away side created an opportunity in the 71st minute where they really could and should have gone back into the lead. A break down the left led to a ball being whipped across the Diamonds six yard line. It was met at the back post by German, but he could only hit the side netting. A real let-off for Rushden, but not for too long. Two minutes later they conceded a free-kick around about 22 yards out and slightly to the left of their goal. Daniels lined it up and them hammered a beauty across Heath into the top corner. Great goal. 1-2.

Rushden certainly didn't give it up at this point, although they were starting to look far more vulnerable to the Alfreton raids. It did, however, take until the 86th minute for The Reds to finally make the game safe and even then it was with some fortune. A scramble in the box saw an attempted clearance come back of the German and ricochet into the net. 1-3.

FT Rushden & Diamonds 1 Alfreton Town 3. The scoreline looks a little harsh on Diamonds who, throughout the game, played the more entertaining brand of football IMO. However, all the nice football in the world doesn't win you games if you concede three goals. Credit to Alfreton who stuck to their game plan, which worked perfectly in the end.

Att. 609

Ground No. 137
Entrance: £9
Programme: £2.50

​Driving from home to Thrapston Town on Friday evening was akin to taking a trip through a United Counties League handbook. Almost every signpost along the route points to a UCL club either past or present.Starting with Buckingham (Town), then passing Brackley Town, towards Northampton (ON Chenecks, Spencer, Sileby Rangers). Signposts for Newport Pagnell and Cogenhoe, then on to Wellingborough (Town and Whitworth). Passing Rushden (& Higham, & Diamonds),  a nostalgic glance towards Irthlingborough, Burton Latimer (Kettering and Burton Park Wanderers) to the right, past the turn-off for Irchester (this evening's opponents for Thrapston), within sight of Raunds Town and directions to Stamford and Corby, Peterborough (Sports, Northern Star) and Huntingdon in the distance, before finally arriving at Thrapston. What's more, I am fairly certain that I have missed a couple out of the list. Thsi stretch of the A43 and A45 is certainly rich in United Counties history and a real hotbed of non-league football.

So, as I said, this evening's fare was being served up at Chancery Lane, Thrapton. A UCL Division One clash between Thrapston Town and Irchester United and a chace to visit a ground that I hadn't been to before.

Chancery Lane, like Irchester's Alfred Street, is a three-sided ground with an open side that is shared with the cricket club. There is quite limited parking on the site, but plenty of street parking very nearby. The club house, snack bar and players/officials facilities are all at the car park end, behind one of the goals, with no access for spectators on the cricket ground side. The opposite side to the cricket square hosts a covered standing area and a covered seating area, with the dugouts in between the stands. All backed, and overhung, by trees giving a very rural feel to the stadium.

​Neither side was wearing their traditional kit on this evening. Thrapston resplendent in fluorescent pink shirts with black shorts and Irchester in the change kit of yellow and blue stripes.

For the first twenty minutes the game was fairly even but, as the game wore on, it became clear that t was Irchester who posed the greater threat going forward. Just before the half-hour mark the away side came close to taking the lead when their number 11, from 20 yards, lifted an effort over the home keeper but saw his attempt go just wide.
A minute later, amidst some good Irchester pressure, the Thrapston keeper was called into action again, pushing a low effort away which, thankfully for Thrapston, did not fall to any attacking players, and was cleared away.
It wasn't all one was traffic but, in general, it was Irchester who looked livelier and more inventive. On 42 minutes and with the half drawing to a close, the home keeper did well to parry a shot up into the air. Once again he was pleased to see the ball fall to a defender who headed it off the line. However, he need not have worried as the referee had already blown for a free-kick.
That was the end of the first-half action.
​
HT Thrapston Town 0 Irchester United 0. An even start but Irchester looking far more likely to take the points at this stage.

​A few minutes after the break, quite typically after saying that the away side looked the more dangerous, Thrapston took the lead. A good strike from their number 8 flew over the visitors keeper and nestled in the back of the net. 1-0.
There was a response from Irchester but the home defence was holding firm and, on 68 minutes, Thrapston almost doubled their lead. A good, powerful header from their number 7 was pushed over the bar by the fingertips of the Irchester keeper. A fine attempt matched by an equally good save.

It was the last time that the Irchester keeper was stretched as his outfield colleagues pushed and pushed for an equaliser. There was no lack of effort or endeavour from Irchester but very little in the way of clear cut chances.

Thrapston held firm for the remainder of the half and took a valuable three points to draw level in the table with their opponents.

FT Thrapston Town 1 Irchester United 0.


Att. ?

Ground No. 136
Entrance: £5
Programme: None available

​Windsor was once a local night out for me. I spent a number of very pleasurable evenings in the town and, what's more, I even met my wife there. So, a trip back down memory lane followed by a trip down St Leonards Road, was too good an opportunity to miss. Despite living in the area for a number of years, I had never before ventured to Stag Meadow, home of Windsor FC. Of course, back in the day when I met my wife, the club was called Windsor and Eton FC but, after they folded in 2011, another club was founded which continues to play on the ground that has been home to football in the town for over 100 years.

This was also my first chance to see the 'famous' Windsor FC kit at close quarters. It is certainly unique with the shirt being, in effect, a red, white and green union flag, with the base colour of red. I guess it garners the same sort of effect as the well know yeast extract spread. You either love it or hate it. However, unlike Marmite, which I am big fan of, I am not over keen on the kit. Having said that, I have to applaud the club for being different and creating a brand - you can see the flag on posters all around the ground. Maybe it will grow on me?

​With that out of the way, let's talk about Stag Meadow and Windsor FC as a club. They bill themselves as a family friendly club and, I have to say, they live up to the billing. Everyone that I spoke to at the club, the man on the gate, the bar staff, the snack bar staff and people in and around the ground, were friendly and welcoming. This is not rare in non-league, most clubs are similar, but Windsor does have a very good feel about the place. 
The ground itself is a fine example of a non-league stadium. Upon entering the ground, through one of three turnstiles at the town end, you are presented with a view down the ground to the Park End. To the right, there is an open terrace and the main stand - quite a large covered seating area. Beyond that more terracing and set back the club house, players and officials facilities. Opposite the main stand there is a covered standing area that spans most of the length of the pitch. Welcome shelter on a wet and windy night like this Tuesday.

​A special mention has to go to the programme. Not only does it contain plenty of interesting and informational content but it was also free on the night, courtesy of the official sponsors Thames Motor Group. The programme also comes in a very handy, pocket-sized format. One question - Does it always have a reference to Leicestershire's finest, multi-coloured, crepe-soled rock and rollers on the cover?

This evening's opponents were Oxford City Nomads, two points worse off then Windsor but having played two more games. Oddly, for so early in the season, the sides had already met at the Oxford City Stadium just over two weeks ago. Windsor came out on top by 5-2, notching up their first Hellenic three-pointer since transferring from the Combined Counties League in the Summer.

With ten minutes to go before kick-off, I was beginning to think that the home side were being very careful with costs because only one side of the pitch was lit by floodlights. As the clock ticked over to 19:45 it became apparent that it was more of an issue rather than financial prudence. However, after some emergency fixing, we had a full complement of lights and we were still under way before eight o'clock.
Storm Aileen decided to make an appearance before kick-off, with the wind picking up significantly and the rain turning from drizzle into more of a downpour.

In the reverse fixture, Windsor had taken a three goal lead within the first 11 minutes, so it was no surprise that Nomads looked like they were setting out to keep it tight for a while in this game. Whilst Windsor had plenty of possession, they didn't really make any in-roads until the 10th minute. Even then, Sanders was more than equal to the effort, pushing it away for a corner with his legs.

Around halfway through the first period, Nomads seemed to realise that they had passed the point at which the game at home had already been lost and started to knock the ball around with more purpose and confidence. Twice in fairly quick succession they manufactured very neat passing movements that split the home defence, although neither led to a significant threat on the Windsor goal.
In fact, it was Oxford who created what could have been the best chance of the half, hitting Windsor with a very quick break which left them two on one for a short time. However, the chance was squandered and we went into the break all-square.
​
HT Windsor 0 Oxford City Nomads 0

​If Oxford had plans to keep it tight at the start of the second half too, their plans were completely blown out of the water within two minutes of the restart, when Nadir Shafi poked home from close range to make it 1-0.
The goal was clearly a shaker for Nomads and a confidence boost for Windsor, who began to spray the ball around with more assurance than in the first half.

Just before the hour mark, the ball was played long to Barry Hayles who showed all of his league experience, getting his body around the ball, and protecting it from the defender long enough for Jack Denton to make a run from midfield. Hayles then laid off an inch perfect pass for the midfielder to burst clear of the Nomads defence and finish very confidently past the advancing keeper. A really good goal all round, great hold-up play and a very assured finish from Denton. 2-0.

Nomads certainly didn't give the game up at this point. The tireless running of Connor Mattimore was always a threat to the home defence, who needed to be on their guard at all times.
However, the final nail in the Nomads coffin came on with 19 minutes left to play. Keiran (or should I say Keeron) Knight played a through-ball down the right flank for Shafi to chase. The striker looked, from my angle, to be second favourite to reach the ball before the Nomads keeper. However, he did get there first and then lobbed a delightful finish over the keeper and into the net. 3-0.

Even at three goals down, it is fair to say that the Nomads heads did not drop completely. They knew that the game was lost but continued in their attempts to get what surely would have only be a consolation goal. It was all to no avail. Windsor comfortably held on to their three goal lead until the referee blew for full-time.

FT Windsor 3 Oxford City Nomads 0. a deserved win for the home side but the 3-0 scoreline was harsh on Nomads who never gave up the ghost.

Starting Line-ups
Windsor: Sobte, A.Smith, Clack, Brooks-Smith, Ingram, Nembhard, Sutherland, Denton, Knight, Hayles, Shafi. 
Oxford City Nomads: Sanders, Bestley, Simms, Brown, Gibbens, Mulvany, Gila, Tutton, Mattimore, Khawaja, Lee

Att. 59
Ground No. 135
Entrance: £7
Programme: Free with admission

​It's been almost two weeks since I attended live football and, in an odd coincidence, I find myself heading to the same street name as my previous game (Coventry Alvis), but this time I am over 100 miles further South. Are these the only two Green Lane's in non-league football? There's some trivia to research.

Anyway, this midweek I was finally going to get to Hartley Wintney FC. A side I saw clinch the Combined Counties Premier title two seasons ago (http://www.botp.co.uk/blog/duff-cook-combined-champions). They failed to gain promotion that season because of ground grading issues. However, they won the league again the following year, had already improved their ground, and are now sitting nicely in the Southern League Division One East.
​
The Memorial Playing Fields, to give their ground it's full name, is on the edge of the rather pleasant and prosperous Hampshire village. With the game being a local derby and a large crowd expected, there were stewards stationed on Green Lane, directing traffic to the ample parking in a field adjacent to the ground. Entrance, through a double turnstile, brings you into the ground next to one of the corner flags, looking straight down the slope with the main facilities all on your right hand side. There is a good sized clubhouse and, maybe because of the expected crowd, a separate snack van selling the usual fare of burgers, tea, coffee etc. Opposite the clubhouse there are two covered seating areas. There are also two covered standing areas behind the car park goal, The Duddridge Stand and the Mullen's, We All Stand Together.
The opposite goal is backed by large amounts of foliage and is out of bounds to spectators. The dugouts, which like the players facilities and the turnstiles, look rather new, are situated on the clubhouse side of the playing surface.

Taking a posiiton on the far side of the ground for the first half, as I tend to do, it was geat to meet Phil Annets (@facupfactfile) in the flesh before kick-off. If you haven't checked out his Twitter account and blog site, you really should. An absolute oracle of FA Cup knowledge and trivia as well as being a really nice bloke to boot.

​There was a fair bit of anticipation in the air for this game. A possible giant-killing, or cupset to use current terminology, a ,local derby and a good following from the away side were all contributing to the atmosphere. The Row's second-half comeback, from 2-0 down, at the weekend had been enough to earn them a second crack of the whip against their higher league opponents.

There had been one previous meeting between the sides in the FA Cup, a 3rd Qualifying Round tie in the 2011-12 season. The Dragons, then of the Step 2 Conference South, ran out 4-0 winners against a Row side plying their trade in the Combined Counties League 1 (Step 6). Now, 6 years down the line, Hartley have risen up two steps and Town have dropped down one, narrowing the gap to one division.

With Basingstoke having the slope to their advantage in the first half, their tactic of attacking with pace down their right flank became immediately apparent. Nippy forward Sam Smart was giving the Hartley left-back, Adam New, plenty to think about. In fact, the Hartley player picked up an early yellow card and a slight knock to go with it. However, The Dragons could not seem to find a final ball to match their endeavours on the wing, a theme that would haunt them throughout the game, and it was the home side who managed the decent chance.
Having said that, neither side managed to create any openings that caused too much concern for the goalkeepers.
After 25 minutes a combination of the knock picked up and the ever=present danger of the player picking up a second yellow, led to Hartley replacing New.

On the half-hour mark, Basingstoke midfielder Collier picked up a yellow card for a rather cynical trip after a Hartley player burst past him. A few minutes later he was lucky to only receive a lecture from the referee after committing what looked like a second yellow card offence. It was a good piece of refereeing in my book. A red card at this point would not have been good for the game and although technically both offences could have been construed as bookable, the second would have been a little soft.

HT Hartley Wintney 0 Basingstoke Town 0. A scrappy first-half. Neither side making too many chances but, credit to The Row, it was very hard to tell whcih side was the higher placed in the pyramid.

​During the half-time break we started to get a little drizzle which, by the time the teams were back out, had turned into a full scale downpour. However, it was quite short lived and, by the time Hartley had a strong looking penalty appeal turned down in the 56th minute, it had pretty much cleared again. The rain was as short-lived as the respite to Basingstoke. Just two minutes after the first appeal, Hartley broke into the Dragons box again and this time, after a trip that looked more innocuous than the first claim, the referee pointed top the spot.
Row captain Sam Argent stepped up and planted the spot-kick past the Basingstoke keeper to make it 1-0. A cupset on the cards?

As you would expect, the higher-ranked side stepped up their game after going behind. However, the extra possession that they gained was still not being matched with any end product. The Hartley back-line continued to look comfortable, marshalled brilliantly by Steve Noaks. A special mention also for Dean Stow at right-back, who seemed to get stronger as the game went on. Defending solidly whilst posing a threat on the breakaway down the right-flanks. Great energy.

For Basingstoke, Smart was still running himself into the ground, chasing every ball but all to no avail. His frustration eventually boiled over when, after chasing back after another attack broke down, he felled a Hartley player with a lunging tackle from behind earning himself a yellow card.

The Row, although looking lively on the break, were quite happy to let Basingstoke have the ball in the midfield area, although they did employ all sorts of gamesmanship in the second half (nothing illegal, I should add). Taking their time over goal-kicks and throw-ins, substituting players who just happened to be on the opposite side of the pitch and, one that I hadn't seen before, having two of their substitutes hang around either side of the corer flag whilst a Basingstoke player attempted to take a corner.

There was plenty of injury time added, especially after a prolonged delay for two Hartley players needing treatment for bleeding head injuries. However, there was no more scoring and the Step 4 side quite comfortably held on for a famous victory. We even had calls of 'we can see you sneaking about' in the build up to the final whistle which, in the main, seemed to be taken in fairly good spirit by the away fans.


FT. Hartley Wintney 1 Basingstoke Town 0. A great result for The Row who now face a trip to the Forest of Dean for a second qualifying round tie at Cinderford Town.

Att. 620

Ground No. 134
Entrance: £9
Programme: £2

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